


Attempted Quality Time

by Monachopsica



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Izzy just wants her brother to be okay okay, Izzy misses her brother, this is not my idea but i was inspired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-26 15:55:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30108405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monachopsica/pseuds/Monachopsica
Summary: Alec is, as expected, working himself to the bone. Izzy is determined to break that pattern, if only for a day.
Relationships: Alec Lightwood & Isabelle Lightwood
Comments: 5
Kudos: 8





	Attempted Quality Time

**Author's Note:**

> Uh. So I haven't posted here before. This is still rough, but I got the idea from @peachygos on tumblr, I hope you like it!! It got a little longer than I intended, but hey!
> 
> English is not my first language, so please heed any grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. I'm not a writer, but I did my best here. Hope you enjoy!

He had been so tightly wound since their parents had left the institute, and it had only been two weeks. Their parents had announced Monday evening that her brother was to take on the role of acting Head of the Insitute while they were tending to their duties in Idris. Izzy had clapped and cheered so much their mother had sent a _look_ with an unimpressed eyebrow her way, making her immediately stop if only to avoid a stern callout amongst the crowd. She couldn't be more proud of Alec, this was a first step into one of his goals in life and he had been training for this day since he was 14. The week before the announcement he'd been jittery, wringing his hands together in an attempt to stifle all the nervous energy. Eventually he'd told her why, but not without Izzy forcing him into her room prompting him several times to just _get on with it, tell me what's going on with you._ Then he'd tentatively smiled and said in a low voice, _I_ _think I'm gonna be Head while they're away_. At that, Izzy had jumped off her bed and ran into his arms, almost toppling them over in her excitement and kissing his face wherever she could reach before he just about threw her back on the bed, wrinkling his nose at her and wiping at his face with the sleeve of his shirt.

”You're gonna be amazing as the Head, Alec, it's what you've always wanted! We knew this day would come” she praised, clapping her hands together so as not to reach for him again.

Alec just shrugged.

”Yeah, but it's just while mom and dad are away in Idris, it's not gonna last”

”Ugh, calm down the excitement, why don't you?” she rolled her eyes at him. At least now, she saw the uptick in the corners of Alec's mouth. But he sighed and sat down heavily on the bed beside her.

”I'm just... nervous. I did an overview of the work and it kind of looks like they just left me with the stuff they couldn't be bothered with, plus everything else that comes in every week. And... all the rumours that Valentine is making a comeback. That means I have to update every security detail we have, because our parents haven't yet.”

Izzy sneered, it felt so typical. They constantly had to prove themselves, prove that they would work harder to keep the Lightwood name intact and the older they got the heavier that weight felt. The last year it had been worse than ever, what with the looming threat of a second uprising seemingly getting closer and closer. She leaned in to place her head on his shoulder and hooked an arm around his.

”So I'll help you get it all sorted so you're ahead of schedule before they get back. Two months is still a good start, big brother. You ace this and you're gonna take over after mom and dad for real”

She couldn't see him, but she felt the shift in his shoulders as he relaxed slightly. He then released his arm from hers to squeeze her shoulders instead. Another squeeze, and he got up and left, but not without shooting her one of his rare smiles over his shoulder before leaving for his own room.

That had been the closest he'd let her in in quite some time. The older they got, the more Alec seemed to just – not want to be around people. He'd only stay around for as long as he was needed, locking himself into his room or keeping to the library outside of training and missions, and only every so often coming with her and Jace sneaking into different clubs, grumbling about acting as surveillance.

Now, it had been a little over two full weeks since Alec became acting Head of the Institute and he had been swamped from the second he sat down by the big desk in the office. He'd deliberately put someone else on their mission team, practically only pausing to sleep and eat, but he didn't even seem to be doing much in those areas. Izzy didn't blame him for being snippy and standoff-ish – even more than usual – but she was also fully determined to get him to _chill the fuck out._ And that was why she was currently on the way to his office with a pile of blankets and an old set of pyjamas she'd dug out of his closet after coming to her conclusion. She'd even put on comfy clothes herself, wrapped her hair in a bun and her face was devoid of make up. Dead set on going full out in her role as little sister, Izzy barged in without knocking, throwing everything in her hands at her brothers head before he even had the time to react.

”What the hell are you doing?” came Alec's unimpressed voice, muffled while he tried to detangle himself from fluffy polyester and cotton.

”You are taking a break for the rest of the weekend” Izzy said simply, crossing her arms over her chest. ”We're having a slumber party”

Alec's head eventually popped up as he finally got the blanket off his head, his hair now in static disarray. He frowned at her.

”I can't take a break, Izzy, I have to catch up on all these reports if I'm gonna be up to par before next week” he said seriously, but Izzy thought she could at least hear a note of disappointment in his voice.

”Okay, so quit for tonight at least. It's 9 pm on a _Friday,_ you can get back to it tomorrow, I'll help you out, just like I promised, alright?”

Alec had the audacity to sigh at her, as if he wasn't going to accept her orders. Izzy decided she wasn't gonna go down so easily, lifting an eyebrow at him in her best attempt at emulating their mother.

”Look, I don't have the time for this. I really appreciate it but I want to get these last papers done before Sunday so I can prepare for next week.”

Now it was Izzy's turn to sigh, but she looked at him with her head bowed, trying to make herself look smaller as she burrowed on.

”Come on, Alec” she begged, ”I've barely seen you since you set foot in this office, and the few times I have you've looked miserable. We've barely talked for two whole weeks. Can't you just please go easy on yourself and let me have some quality time with you? I miss you”

Alec then put his pen down and pinched at the bridge of his nose, visibly fighting an inner battle between his big brother heart and his new role as acting HotI. Izzy barely stopped herself from pouting, already knowing from the scene in front of her that she'd played her cards right. Another sigh escaped from her brother before he got up from his seat, accepting defeat.

”Alright, what'd you have in mind?”

Izzy barely contained her squeal, rushing forward to hug Alec and press her face to his chest like she'd done when they were little and she no longer reached his shoulders. After letting go, she patted his face and grinned at him.

”Get changed, go to my room and wait for me there. Bring the blankets, I've got everything else set up already”

With 'everything else' she meant the pile of pillows at the end of the bed for them to lounge on, the big TV stand she'd placed in the middle of the room facing the bed and the piles upon piles of snacks she'd picked up on her way back from a short shopping trip earlier that day. The last step was to make hot chocolate for them both, with marshmallows. It wasn't something they got to indulge in often growing up, but it seemed to always have a soothing effect on Alec when he'd had a lot on his mind, so she was sure the gesture would be appreciated.

Coming downstairs into the large kitchen, she fetched two large mugs, a sauce pan and milk from one of the fridges. Only, she didn't use the stove much. Or even _a_ stove at all. Her grandmother had tried to teach her a few recipes when she was about 11, but it had ended with her nan throwing her hands up and collapsing into a chair, exasperatedly letting out an _I'm sorry but we just cannot eat this_ , after their sixth attempt and the full day in her kitchen. Needless to say she wasn't used to it, but how hard could it be? The appliances were industrial grade, so it shouldn't take too long, right? Maybe she should have done this before trying to convince Alec to join her, but it was a bit late for that now. After pushing a few buttons, it seemed like the correct stove plate was on, so she measured the mugs full and poured the milk into the sauce pan and put on the lid, jumping up to sit cross-legged on the countertop across from it. Just as she got comfortable, her phone pinged with a text from Alec.

Alec: _Really? You prepared Toy Story 2?_

Izzy chuckled to herself before typing out her response.

- _It was your favourite when we were little, you big dumb, I'm trying to cheer you up._

Alec: _I don't need cheering up_

_-Like hell you don't. BRB_

It took a little while longer for Alec to respond this time, Izzy watched the three dots appear and disappear a couple times, before he seemed to just give up.

Alec: _I don't know what BRB means_

_-That's because you're an old man trapped in a poor 23 year olds body_

Alec: _Ha ha._

Now Izzy full on guffawed to herself, delighted at how easy it was to fall back into the usual banter with her brother. She'd missed it, more than she'd probably care to admit. She glanced up at the stove only to realize the lid was about to fly off the sauce pan, and now that she actually registered what was happening, the entire kitchen smelled like something was burning. How the hell had she not noticed?

”Shit” she muttered under her breath, running to the stove to turn of the heat. The lid was barely staying on the pan, milky bubbles spewing down onto the stove top.

”Shit!” Izzy exclaimed again, louder this time. She was incredibly thankful that she was down here alone. Kitchen staff wouldn't be here until 6.30 in the morning so that at least meant she had time to fix this mess.

She couldn't see any oven mitts anywhere, so she figured she simply had to be fast about it, reaching for the handle of the pan to lift it over to the sink. But the handle had gone hot in her inattention, so the second she lifted the pan off the stove the heat became too much and her swift movement meant that once she dropped it, it fell to the floor. Her reflexes got her up on her knees on the counter just before the boiling milk could splash her feet. How the hell did two cups of milk end up in... _that_ much milk? She watched in horror as it spread across the entire floor toward the cabinets beneath her and anywhere she potentially could have gotten away had she been fast enough. Realization dawned on her.

She was trapped.

By boilt milk. No amount of training could have ever prepared her for this. Frantically looking around her, she spotted her phone on the other side of the sink and she had just enough reach to grab it and calling Alec.

”Uh, you coming soon?” he asked as the call went through.

”Code red, Alec. Save me” she gasped into her phone, only now realizing she'd been holding her breath in her attempt not to get burned.

Alec was immediately on alert. ”Save you? What's going on?”

”I'm... trapped” Izzy started, not wanting to tell him yet. The embarassment started to set in and she felt her pride bruising at the realisation that she couldn't get out of this without her brothers help. Not until the milk had cooled down at least, which would probably take a while. She could hear rustling over the phone and the faint sound of footfalls as Alec worked his way out to the corridor.

”Where are you?”

”Uh... in the kitchen?”

She could _hear_ him skid to a stop.

”What were you doing in the kitchen?” he asked, and there was a barely concealed grin in his voice. If he wasn't so far away, Izzy could've smacked him. Damn Alec and his mirth at her misery. He already knew she'd fucked something up.

”Will you just get down here? Please? Help me”

”On my way”

The call disconnected. It would take some minute for Alec to get here, so Izzy felt she had no other choice but to fall back into her previous position of sitting cross-legged on the countertop as she waited. It didn't take long. Soon enough she could hear the echo of Alec's careful footsteps as he came through the swinging door. He stopped right in his tracks, barefoot and only some inch away from the milk that was still making its runny way over the floor. He threw a glance up at Izzy, who helplessly looked back at him, then back down on the milk, the sauce pan, and the lid that had rolled off into a corner on the other end of the kitchen floor. Izzy could see the split second where it clicked in Alec's head, and in the next his face was splitting into the biggest grin she'd seen in months. It was quiet for a single beat and then her brother started laughing, and laughing, and then he was laughing even harder, gripping around his stomach and doubling over in a struggle to stay up-right. She just glared at him.

”Wha – what – how did you do this?” he asked through gasping breath, trying to remain standing by leaning against a wall by the door.

Izzy threw an accusatory finger at him, ” _You_ distracted me when you texted! You're so slow I waited for what you were going to say and then the milk was boiling everywhere!”

”Oh, so it's _my_ fault?” Alec was still laughing, wiping at his eyes with a thumb and staring her down.

”Okay, maybe not” Izzy sniffed. ”But the milk got super hot and I almost got burned and now I'm stuck here because it's everywhere and I don't know how to fix this and–”

”Izzy” Alec interrupted, eyes soft and his voice a little hoarse from laughing so hard. ”Take a breath, okay? Hold on”

He bent down to hover a hand over the milk, then quickly dipping a finger in and assessing that while it was still very warm, it had cooled down enough to clean up. Izzy watched him as he opened cabinet after cabinet, still chuckling to and mumbling under his breath about how his sister was a disaster who should never set foot in a kitchen and she should have learned that lesson a long time ago.

”I can _hear_ you” she grumbled, sending as sour of a look as she could muster his way. Alec turned around and pinned her with a shit eating grin.

”I could leave if you want” he said simply.

”No! No, please don't go” Izzy begged, putting her head in her hands. She felt the creeping realization that without a doubt that within 24 hours Jace would find out about this and she'd probably hear it for the rest of her days. Even worse if Max were to find out. If Alec stayed, that whole mess would be prolonged for at least a little while.

Eventually Alec found towels, two mops and a few rolls of paper towels as well. He tossed a roll to Izzy and she carefully put enough down to sweep it with her feet, wrinkling her nose at the dampness against her soles. Once she could skip down from the counter, they worked together to mop up the milk from the floor, wash the saucepan and put it away. The entire time, Alec was smiling, seemingly without realizing it.

”I can't believe you got milk to explode all over the kitchen” he said after a while, breaking the silence as he wiped one of the cabinet doors clean.

”It didn't _explode_ , I dropped it because the handle on the pot burned me” Izzy corrected with a bone-deep sigh, now holding a mop and doing her best to clean up the remaining puddles. Alec just shook his head at her, fond eyes crinkling a little in the corners.

”In my experience, single pot handles don't get that hot, how did you even manage that?” Then he looked up and gestured widely at a top cabinet where there was a splatter at level with his head. ”And _how_ did the milk get up _here_?”

”How should _I_ know? Defying the laws of gravity? You said it yourself, I shouldn't set foot in any kitchens!”

”Yeah, and we both know I'm right about that. Hey, come here”

Suddenly Alec was closer than a second ago. He got Izzy to stand at her full height and gathered her up in his arms, resting his cheek against the top of her head.

”Honestly, this was probably the best thing that could've happened tonight for me”

”Excuse _you_ –” Izzy huffed, voice muffled by her face so tightly tucked under Alec's.

”Let me finish” he sighed in a drawn out tone, clearly fully expecting her to interrupt him. ”I haven't spared one thought to the reports or the rosters or the security details or the _fucking audit_ the Clave will apparently be doing before the two-month mark. That's thanks to you, Iz. This was... an absolute disaster, but it was fun. When was the last time we had fun together, huh?”

He let her go, and in typical Alec fashion he held a tight grip on her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye when he said his next words, willing her to believe him.

”I missed you too”

Izzy couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. She leaned in to give him another tight squeeze. They collected all the used paper towels to throw in the trash, and Izzy rinsed the mops and towels and left them to dry while Alec prepared their hot cocoas and put them in the microwave, loudly explaining every step in great detail to make sure he could rub her incompetence in a little bit more. Izzy didn't even have it in her to be annoyed, just rolling her eyes once or twice to play along, but in reality she was just happy to see Alec falling back into his normal self. The tight lines of his shoulders had dissipated some, and when he thought she wasn't paying attention she could see him in the corner of her eye take a silent deep breath that seemed to help him relax even a little more.

Once the chocolate was done, they put as many mini marshmallows as they could fit into their mugs, taking the bag back with them to shovel even more into their mouths later. They put the mugs down on the little side table Izzy had placed in front of the bed and lay on their stomachs, shoving at each other and fighting over the best pillows. Eventually they became invested in the movie and it was silent for a while, save for the rustling of wrappers and chewing noises. Then Alec leaned over and knocked his shoulder to Izzy's.

”Hey, Iz?”

”Yes, big bro?”

Their eyes met, and Alec had a look of exasperated fondness, like he really wanted to roll his eyes at her but tried with all his might to fight it.

”Best slumber party in forever. Thank you”

Izzy grinned back at him and brought her hand up above eye level between them, shooting him an expectant look. Alec didn't even hesitate. With a chuckle, he high-fived her and they shared another bout of laughter before coming back to the movie in companionable silence, sharing more snacks and throwing in commentary here and there.

Before the last ten minutes, Izzy looked over and saw her brother relaxed in sleep against the pillows, mouth hanging open and snoring slightly. Smiling to herself, she pulled his blanket higher over his shoulders and smoothed his hair out of his face. Once the movie was over, she shut off the TV and got rid of all the snack wrappers and crumbs off the bed as quietly as she could. Then she settled beneath her own blanket next to her brother and let out a sigh of relief before letting her heavy lids fall shut.

Mission complete.


End file.
